Atlanta House Painting Information & Atlanta News

Recently I was talking with garden designer David McMullin of New Moon Gardens about garden design.

The plant catalogues have started to arrive and the timing couldn’t be better. Even the hardiest of gardeners admit that with the temperature hovering in the 20 to 30 degree range, sitting by a roaring fire or under a warm blanket and planning ahead for next spring and summer is the best way to spend garden time.

Recently at a holiday party a friend commented to me that one doesn’t hear much about evergreen gardens.

I enjoy shopping for the plant lovers in my life. Whether it’s a container garden, a pair of pruning shears, a truck load of compost, a shade tree or a conifer, it’s easy to shop for gardeners.

It’s late November and I just returned from a visit with garden designer Louise Poer in her extraordinary courtyard.

It’s mid-November and fall color is peaking. In my own garden the stars of the day are the coralbark maple, Acer palmatum ‘Sangu Kaku’ and Arkansas bluestar, Amsonia hubrichtii , both golden beacons that sparkle even on rainy days.

For some of us gardening in pots or containers is a necessity. If you live in an apartment or condo with only a balcony, you are probably delighted to be able to grow ornamentals, vegetables or both in pots.

It’s mid-October and color in my garden comes in shades of peachy apricot, lavender and rose from Rosa ‘Perle d’Or,’ single apricot chrysanthemums, lavender asters and the faded flower heads of Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva.’ Still to come is the show that Amsonia hubrichtii puts on when its mass of willowy foliage turns brilliant yellow and the Japanese maple Acer palmatum ‘Sangu Kaku’ whose leaves turn yellow before they drop off to reveal red stems and a red trunk.

I still remember some years back when I got the call from my daughter’s preschool letting me know that she had eaten a holly berry.

One of the many advantages of having your own garden is that you don’t have to consult with a committee before you make any changes, move any plants or decide to rip out something that no longer pleases you.

Tips on how to design a garden in an oddly-shaped space.

As summer begins to wind down I find myself thinking of plants for fall and winter. Ornamental grasses appeal to me for their texture, form and long lasting beauty. . . .